A typical day for a caregiver might
include on-the-job stress in the morning, a rush to a
doctorís appointment for your mother at lunchtime and
battling bottle necked traffic in the evening only to
come home and figure out what to cook everyone for
dinner. By this time, your muscles feel achy and you
crave the comfort and security of your bed, but when
itís time to turn in, once again you canít fall asleep.
Some caregivers exert enough energy during the day to
power a small nuclear submarine, but sleep deprivation
is a common problem among a large percentage of
caregivers.

You find yourself balancing your checkbook mentally,
wondering if your boss actually meant what he said and
if the planet is really going to run out of clean
drinking water. All the traditional sleep techniques
have been exhausted: you drank warm milk, ate a bedtime
snack, avoided caffeine and took a hot bath. You may
have even tried counting those white puffy ranch
animals, but to no avail--another sleepless night.

If common sleep inducing measures donít work for you,
itís time to try some unconventional methods. Remember,
as with all new ideas, keep an open mind. After all, the
name of the game is falling asleep.

March of the toy soldiers. Fill your bathtub ankle deep
with cool water and march around in it for a few
minutes. Itís a proven form of hydrotherapy for
sleeplessness.

A room with a view. Visualize something peaceful like
dancing butterflies. Time to exercise. If you canít sleep, tell yourself you
have to get up and go running, youíll be asleep in no
time.

Herbal nation. Try one of the many herbal teas or
capsules like Kava Kava or St. Johnís Wart; they could
be a safe and effective alternative to traditional
sleeping pills.

You are a poet and you didnít even know it. Start
writing a well-constructed poem about life in general,
it is a great way to re-focus negative thoughts.